Frank Ramirez was born in San Francisco, CA, in 1928.
Years earlier, both of his parents' families had migrated from
villages near Granada, Spain to Hilo, Hawaii, to work on the farms,
and from there they found their way to San Francisco, CA, where
his mother and father met and married.
Frank Ramirez
attended San Francisco State University in the late 1950's where he
studied art in addition to his regular classes. It was there that he
became acquainted with the abstract-expressionist painter Sam
Tchakalian who remained a vibrant influence on Frank and his
work for many years.
After
Frank Ramirez graduated from San Francisco State
University in 1959, he began teaching full time in public schools.
As time permitted, he studied art at the San Francisco School of
Fine Arts
from 1960 to 1964. An elementary school teacher professionally, Frank was also a gifted
artist, producing more than 50 large paintings and numerous abstract "box
sculptures" during
his 24-year residence in Davis, CA. He died of esophageal cancer
November 13, 2002, at the age of 74.
As a tribute to his
lifetime dedication to art and children, his wife arranged a memorial
exhibit and sale of his work with all the proceeds going to support
children's art programs through the Davis School Arts Foundation.
The paintings
shown on this page were all purchased at the memorial exhibit.
This biography
was prepared from the recollections of Mrs. Judith Ramirez.
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